HR: 1330h
AN: B42A-0933    [PDF]
TI: Effects of Cover Crops to Offset Soil Carbon Changes Under No-till on an Ohio farm when Biomass is Harvested
AU: * Kimble, J M
EM: john.kimble@usda.gov
AF: USDA-NRCS, Fed. Bldg. RM 152 MS34 100 Centennial Mall N, Lincoln, NE 68508-3866 United States
AU: Everett, L R
EM: everett.2@osu.edu
AF: The Ohio State University, Byrd Polar Research Center 108 Scott Hall 1090 Carmack Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1002 United States
AU: Richards, W
EM: wjr1066@aol.com
AF: Richards Farms, 24537 Canal Road, Circiville, OH 43113 United States
AB: The results of a long term experiment to look at the use of cover crops and there effect on soil organic carbon. No-till has been shown to increase SOC and improve the overall soil quality under conditions where the biomass has been returned to the field. However, biomass may be removed as silage or for use in biofuels. The removal will reduce the inputs to the field so to overcome the amount of biomass not returned to the soil different cover crops were used. This experiment was done on a working farm where the corn biomass was being removed as silage. Four cover crops were planted in early September of 2002: rye, oats, clover, and canola with two controls, one with no cover crop and one where corn stubble was left on the field. The soils were sampled soon after the crops were planted and again in the spring of 2003 before the cover crops were killed just prior to planting. The first results indicate that the most root biomass was produced by the rye followed by oats then canola and then clover.
DE: 0400 Biogeosciences
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE (New category)
DE: 1699 General or miscellaneous
DE: 4805 Biogeochemical cycles (1615)
SC: Biogeosciences [B]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting